Survival Skills
by Laura-Grace
Summary: The Bladebreakers get stranded on an uninhabited island with no means of communication, as Dizzi was lost in the watery depths of the sea. Naturally, Kai appears to keep a cool head, though inner turmoil, because only Kai knows the truth about this place.
1. Weathering The Storm Upside Down!

Survival Skills

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The Bladebreakers get stranded on an uninhabited island with no means of communication, as Dizzi was lost in the watery depths of the sea. Naturally, Chief, Tyson and Max freak. Rei is more than a little unnerved, but Kai, of course, appears to keep a cool head, though inner turmoil, because only Kai knows the truth about this place…

A/N: New plot, me thinkies. Am I right? Yes, I am. I am the holder of the Official Always Right Card. Mwahaha. I win.

DISCLAIMER: I own nobody.

****

Chapter 1: Weathering The Storm… Upside-Down!

"Hey, guys, why did we choose to go by sea again?" 13-year-old Tyson Granger moaned, leaning over the railing in agony.

"I honestly don't know, Tyson." 13-year-old Max Tate agreed, face as green as his shirt. "But we're never doing it again."

"At least I'm not alone this time," 13-year-old Kenny "Chief" Dion groaned as he clutched at the railing with one hand and Dizzi with the other.

"Ah, ya guys are just regular little landlubbers, aren't ya?" Captain Mitch asked heartily, laughing at the tormented faces. "Don't ya worry. Tis only a three-day voyage more."

"Oh…" all three groused.

"Oh, stop your whining and wailing." 15-year-old Kai Hiwatari said heartlessly, from his spot leaning against the mast. "You're not dying."

"Yeah, well, you're not the one who's sick, Kai," Tyson growled.

"Ya two there!" Captain Mitch ordered. "Those of ya who aren't in the throes of death. Bring in the sails, there's a storm up ahead."

15-year-old Rei Kon looked slightly confused. "How?"

Kai sighed as he untied the ropes holding the sails. "Why must I do everything? Here, Rei." Startled, Rei caught the rope as Kai tossed it to him. "Just do what I do." He pulled on the rope and Rei followed, grimacing as the coarse material tore at his palms. Slowly the sails closed until they were flat against the mast, where Kai took Rei's rope again and tied it securely.

"Yer a regular, kid." Captain Mitch said admiringly.

Kai shrugged. "I did a couple of voyages when I was younger."

"Well, yer teacher taught ya well." Mitch finished and then whirled around as the monsoon they had thought was a few hours ahead of them suddenly changed course and head straight for them at an alarmingly fast speed. "All ya four, get below deck NOW! Ya stay up here, Kai, was it? I'll be needing yer help. Looks like a horrid storm ahead."

Like a line of little ducklings, the three boys, still moaning in distress, followed the apprehensive-looking Rei below deck.

"Now, I need ya to throw the anchor."

"What?!" Kai yelped.

"Throw the bleeping anchor! We're gonna try and weather this blasted storm, cause we sure can't ride through it!" Mitch snapped.

"You're suicidal!" Kai yelled, even as he tossed the anchor overboard. Apparently, the rope wasn't the length required to hit bottom, because the boat tilted at an shockingly steep angle. "It's not nowhere near long enough! We're going to flip!"

"That don't matter!" Mitch shrugged. We'll head below deck and put the watertight seals on and weather the storm upside-down."

Kai opened his mouth to protest, but found himself being shoved down below while Mitch secured the watertight seal over the only opening from outside.

"Have a nice slow death, Bladebreakers." Mitch hissed, only loud enough for Kai to hear. "While I take the only lifeboat outta here!"

"Kai, what's going on?" Rei hissed, a terrified look on his face, clutching Driger with all the force he possessed. Tyson, Max and Chief nodded in agreement, each also clutching their Beyblade. Chief went to go open up Dizzi, then yelled in panic "Dizzi! I left her on deck!"

He tumbled down onto Max as the boat lurched and finally overturned. Max fell onto Tyson, who smashed against the wall. Rei dropped, thankfully, onto a pile of flour bags and Kai grabbed the steel hooking rings on the floor which was now the ceiling and hung precariously from there.

"Ow." Tyson mumbled as Chief stepped on feet, hands and anything else in his way as he made his way to the door.

Kai dropped to the ground, narrowly missing Rei and dove at Chief, knocking him aside just as he went to open the door. "Kenny, don't be stupid!"

"Dizzi!" Chief cried, reaching again for the door. "I have to get Dizzi!"

"We're _upside-down_, Kenny!" Kai snapped. "Face it, she's lost! If you open that door, you are going to drown us all."

"I have to try and get Dizzi!" Chief wailed. "She'll completely crash if she's left in the water too long!"

Harshly, Kai slugged him across the face, and Chief skidded across the boat, banged into Rei, then curled into a fetal position and started sniffling.

Immediately, Tyson and Max crawled over and all three other Bladers glared at Kai.

"Was that really necessary, Kai?" Rei asked quietly. "He's just worried about Dizzi. Wouldn't you go after Dranzer if you had left him out on deck?"

"A, I don't leave my Beyblade lying around where it can be easily lost. B, even I had, I'm not so stupid as to try and open a door which leads straight out into six feet below sea level." Kai said simply. "Why am I only one with an ounce of sense on this blasted heap of scrap wood?"

"Oh, that looks nasty." Max commented, clearly ignoring Kai, and watching as the side of his face where Kai had hit Chief began to blossom with a large bruise.

"Oh, ow. Ow. Owowowowowowowowowow…" Chief whimpered, gingerly touching it.

Kai sighed and slid a slab of raw, cold meat in a plastic bag across the boat, wisely keeping his distance. "Put it on the bruise. It'll help with the swelling."

"Ew." Tyson muttered, picking up the bag by the tips of his fingers. Rolling his eyes, Rei took the bag and gently placed it on Chief's bruise. Chief whimpered, but then relaxed.

"Thank you, Kai." He whispered. "And I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't." Kai told him, then grabbed at the rings again as the boat lurched dangerously once again. This time, the other boys were smart enough to copy Kai's actions and managed to stay in their positions until it calmed down a bit more.

"Can't you ever just accept an apology without handing out another insult, Kai?" Tyson snapped, a little slower to forgive than Chief.

"Shut it, Tyson." Kai snapped. "We're on this heap of junk until we either crash, drown or starve. It's a 2/3 chance we die within a couple of months."

"Aren't you ever so optimistic." Max muttered. "Why?"

"Max, use the brain I'm sure is in there somewhere. We're upside-down, in a storm, in the middle of the ocean. We have no way of navigating, repairing damage or turning ourselves back over. We float aimlessly until the boat collapses or we hit land, whatever comes first." Kai snapped. "All we're sitting on right now is what we have to eat for an undetermined length of time." He chose not to tell his already-over-distressed teammates what Mitch had said.

"Goody." Rei mumbled. Kai felt a little better. At least someone got the severity of the situation. "We're Noah's Ark without the animals."

"And upside-down." Max added.

"And upside-down." Rei conceded.

"So what's to eat?" Tyson asked. "I'm starving!"

"We're waiting for a few hours, until the storm passes," Kai answered, taking charge again as team captain. "I don't want to risk losing anything on the ground if we buffet again."

"But I'm hungry _now_!" Tyson whined and grabbed at the ring as the winds tossed the boat again.

"_So chew on your cheek_!" Kai snarled, disappearing into the storage room. "Oh shoot."


	2. Landing

Survival Skills

DISCLAIMER: Own nobody. End of story.

****

Chapter 2: Landing

"Oh shoot, WHAT?!" Rei asked, in a slightly panicked tone. He made his way cautiously over to the storage room where Kai was rooted to the spot in surprising horror. "Oh shoot."

"What?!" The three younger boys all chorused.

"Houston, we have a problem." Rei muttered. "Guys, hope we land somewhere soon."

"Why?" Chief asked suspiciously.

"Because we're sinking." Kai said frankly. "Something punched a hole in there. We're flooding rather quickly."

Tyson and Max and Chief all started yelling and gibbering and pleading that they didn't want to die.

"Now _that _wasn't necessary." Rei told Kai.

"Hmph." Kai answered. "Better the wolves at the front than at the back."

"So says you." Rei muttered, resettling himself on the flour bags. "I prefer the wolves behind me."

Just when the water had broken through the makeshift barricade Kai and Rei had constructed half an hour later, there was a jolting crunch as the boat tumbled onto its side and came to rest on a hard surface.

"Hey, guys!" Max cried delightedly. "I think we hit land!" He dove for the door, then stopped with his hand on the handle. "Can I, Kai?" Apparently Kai's reaction when Chief tried it had stuck.

"Go ahead." Kai muttered, waving a non-committed hand at him.

Max banged open the door and fought his way through the watertight seal to tumble out onto glorious land! "I am never going anywhere in a boat again!" he crowed, hugging the sand.

Tyson and Chief happily tumbled out three seconds later and Rei jumped out right after them. Kai stuck his head out, hmph-ed again and said, "Deserted island. Fun."

"How do you know it's uninhabited?" Rei teased, even while dancing around on the beach.

"There'd be people here." Kai answered vaguely. "Guys, start grabbing supplies and pile them down by the those rocks there."

"You're no fun, Kai." Tyson whined, but grabbed a bag as Kai and Rei started tossing them out. "These are _heavy_!"

It took about an hour for them to unload and then Kai ordered them to go look for firewood.

"But Kai!" Tyson, Max and Chief whined. Rei had long since given up complaining. He tried to pick up a log and was unpleasantly surprised when his arm burned with pain. "Ow!" he hissed, pupils suddenly constricting (A/N: you remember the 'wild cat' look, right?).

"What's the matter, Rei?" Kai asked irritably.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be in pain!" Rei growled. "Owie."

"Come here." Kai ordered, then looked at Rei's arm. "It doesn't look too badly injured." Surprisingly gentle for being Kai, he pressed down on the inside of Rei's upper arm.

"Hey!" Rei hissed again, pupils constricting again. This time, his fangs were bared as well.

"Get control of yourself!" Kai snapped, taking off his scarf and making a makeshift sling and gently slipped Rei's injured arm into it. "You just pulled a muscle, that's all. Leave the arm alone for the night. It'll be good as new in the morning. Go sit over there."

Obediently, Rei sat down on the rocks and watched Kai bark orders at the younger three, who screamed back at him and then skittered off when he advanced threateningly.

"If I pull a muscle too, can I be excused?" Tyson asked.

"No," Kai said mercilessly. "Keep hauling, Tyson. Unless you want see exactly what kinds of creatures come out at night. Lions, tigers, bears,"

"Oh my." Chief added. "Sorry, couldn't resist." He scurried past Kai, who had actually cracked a half-smile and put the newest load of firewood next to Rei. "Lucky."

"Nah." Rei said. "I'm going to have to do double-duty sometime without a doubt."

"All right, that's enough!" Kai yelled. "Now, Kenny, take some of that wood and start building a fire."

"But I don't—"

"—know how." Tyson and Max added.

"I could look it up on the Internet if I had Dizzi," Kenny said piercingly.

"Don't blame me for your carelessness." Kai said. "Make sure you learn this the first time around, because I'm not doing it again."

As the sun began to set, dark clouds looming overhead brought about the other subject the boys had forgotten.

"Are we just sleeping out in the open?" Max asked warily as he took some of the 'random soup', as Tyson called it, from the pot cooking over the fire. "Kai?"

"Knowing him, probably." Tyson muttered, taking a bowl for himself.

"That wouldn't be logical." Kenny said. "We have no medicine if one of us gets sick. We'll probably camp out in the boat. Somebody will notice when we don't show up in Brazil when we were scheduled to and they'll send out the Coast Guard to find us. A week at most. Isn't that right, Kai?"

"Somebody? Help?" Rei asked. "One-armed man here, can't get soup. Hungry…"

"Sure, buddy, just a second." Tyson laughed, setting his bowl back down on a rock. He grabbed the bowl from Rei and the injured comrade took the spoon and put a surprisingly little amount in.

"I'm not really hungry," Rei said by way of explanation. "Thanks, Tyson."

"No problem." Tyson answered. "Anything for a damsel in distress."

"Hey!" Rei yelled, tossing a handful of sand at Tyson.

As the grains fell into Max's bowl, he yelled and threw a handful back at Rei. Pretty soon, all four boys were involved in a wild sand fight.

Meanwhile, Kai had surreptitiously left a half hour before to explore the island. He had had a funny feeling the entire trip, and right now it was starting to scare him.

He had found virtually nothing. Feeling a faint realization in his heart, that maybe they were lost with no way back, he stood up about chest-deep in the ocean. He had decided to have a swim and try and forget about the nagging voice at the back of his head. He saw a beaten path, though overgrown from many years of nonuse. He went to get back on the shore when, in his bare feet, he stepped on something strangely sharp sunken in the sand. It was far too sharp to be a rock and, in diving underwater and reaching into the muck, he retrieved an old Beyblade, a model that had gone out of production almost ten years ago now. In the bitpiece was a picture of a gazelle.

'Tsvi,' Kai thought, shaking the water out of his eyes, pocketing the Beyblade and was returning to the beach when Rei and Tyson appeared from the other side, closely followed by Max and Chief.

"Hey, Kai, there you are!" Max called, grinning.

"Why must they follow me everywhere?' Kai groaned internally, falling backwards again into the water. 'Like little ducklings.'

_Well, you and the others followed Kristian and Seth around like that, too._ A nasty little voice, that Kai thought he'd gotten rid of, said.

Choosing to ignore the comparison, Kai responded to Max's call with a customary "What do you want?", pushing the wet hair out of his eyes and glaring at them.

"_I_ wanna go swimming!" Tyson yelled, stripping off his shirt, cap and shoes and socks and running in.

"Yeah!" Max and Chief both agreed and imitated Tyson. Within seconds, all three boys were busy with "The Ultimate Water Battle". Rei was a little more hesitant to go into the freezing cold water. He kicked off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pant legs and went no deeper than his ankles.

"Hey, guys!" Kai called. "Don't go out too far. We don't know what lives in the water." Rei backed up to the beach and flopped onto the sand, grimacing as he jolted his arm.

"Yes, Mother!" Tyson called back cheerfully. Kai just grumbled incoherently and joined Rei on the beach, shaking the sand off his shirt before pulling it over his head.

"So why'd you disappear on us again?" Rei asked quietly.

"What do you mean, 'again' ?" Kai responded. "We've only been stranded for six hours."

"Every time we're away on a tournament, it seems like you disappear somewhere and then we get all worked up. Then you just come back and you don't even say where you've been. You really gave us a scare at the world championship. We'd thought that we'd lost you forever, Kai. The fact you came back is beside the point, because if you'd trust us like we trust you, you wouldn't keep running off. Why do you think we follow you everywhere now?" Rei said. "It's so that we know you won't leave us again."

"Listen, Rei," Kai snapped, standing up. "I have never needed anybody in my life and I don't intend to start now. The only way to stop from being betrayed is not to trust anybody. If you'd have done that in Moscow, things would've been different." He left the beach to jump nimbly along the rocks leading back to their crash site.

_Liar_.

'Shut up.'

"Great job, Rei!" Tyson called satirically. "Real people skills there!"

"Shut it, Tyson!" Rei yelled back.

"Kai, where are we sleeping?" Max whined an hour or so later as the four other Bladebreakers trooped back into the temporary campsite.

"Wherever your heart so desires." Kai called back, stretched out on his allotted blanket on the top of the boat, which was actually the bottom of the boat.

"I call hammocking in the boat!" Tyson and Max yelled as one and each grabbed their blankets and clambered into the tipped houseboat. 

Kai grabbed the side of the boat as it rocked. "Maybe this isn't the best place."

"I want right side!"

"I want left side!"

"But _I_ want right side!"

"You can have it, Tyson! I want left, you idiot!"

"Then _say_ so!"

"I did!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Chief held back a smile as he said, "I _would_ take the bedroom part of the boat, but as it's currently on its side, I guess I'll take the sand. Looks comfy enough."

"I wouldn't." Kai called. "Probably all sorts of insects and scorpions and stuff."

"Ugh!" Chief yelped, scrambling up next to Kai.

"Well, I don't want to be inside there while Tyson and Max are." Rei said. "I prefer to live to see another person besides us again. Guess I'll join you guys up there." He grinned and jumped up.

"Hmph." Kai responded, jumping down again and adding another log to the fire.

"Man of many words, isn't he?" Chief asked wryly.


	3. Liberty Island, Ten Years Earlier

Survival Skills

A/N: Okay, you're probably all mucho confused. Knowing my Beyblade stories, which don't always make a lot of sense, you most definitely are. So, call this the 'explanation chapter', if you will. It takes place 10 years earlier, in 1992, and may cause some more questions, but they'll be answered in the _next_ chapters. Ahem. And let me say that there is NO yaoi in this story. Nor in any of my stories.

DISCLAIMER: I own nobody. Duh.

****

**Chapter 3: Liberty Island - Ten Years Earlier**

                "Hey, boys. Come on, boys, wake up. Kai, get up, buddy."

                "Wha's goin' on?" 4-year-old Kai yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Are we there yet?"

                "Yes, Kai, we're there. Now, come quickly. Take your bag and wait with Seth." 19-year-old Kristian said quickly, gently pushing Kai out onto the floor and standing up himself.

                "But, Kris, aren't you coming with me?" Kai asked, pausing at the door.

                "Yes, I'll come in a minute, I promise." Kris said in a clipped tone. "Boys, wake up. Alexei[1], Taras, Tala, Bryan, come on."

                "Are we there yet?" Taras moaned, tumbling out of the next hammock over as his twin brother Tala stretched and pushed him out. "Ow! Tala!"

                "Sorry, Taras." Tala mumbled. He climbed out. "What's going on, Kris?"

                "We've arrived. Take your bags and go wait with Seth. _Now, Kai."_

                "All right." All three boys said as they trudged out.

                "Bryan, Alexei, get up _now_." Kris ordered, dumping the hammock on the other side of Taras and Tala's and two tousled heads, one with lavender hair and the other with jet-black hair, blinked sleepily up at Kris from the tangles of their shared blanket.

                "Is it time to go?" Alexei asked as he sat up.

                "Yes," Kris said tiredly. "Now take your bags and go wait with Seth."

                Meanwhile, outside, the other three boys were leaning over the railing as far as they could go with 19-year-old Seth watching within arm's reach.

                "Looks deep." Taras commented gravely.

                "It is deep to shrimps like you guys," Seth said. "Don't fall in, because I'm not coming in after you."

                "We won't." All three chorused in unison.

                "Lookit." Tala said, pointing at a far shape in the water. A triangular shape was visible in the distance. "A shark!"

                "Cool!" Kai and Taras said. Taras leaned farther to catch a glimpse and tumbled over the edge. 

"Yi!" Taras yelped as his head broke the surface.

"Taras!" Kai and Tala both yelled. Seth jumped to the railing to grab the collar of Taras' coat and haul him back up through the railing.

"Told you I wasn't coming in there after you." Seth told him gruffly.

Taras sniffled. "Sorry, Seth. I didn' mean it. I slipped, that's all." His shaking hand snaked its way into his pocket, then his eyes widened and he dove for the water again. "Tsvi! I lost Tsvi in the water! Seth, you have to go get him!" Taras was nearly in tears by this time.

"Taras, I am not going into that godforsaken water to get your Beyblade!" Seth snapped, holding the struggling boy by the arm. "You lost it, end of story."

"I want Tsvi back," Taras whispered, bottom lip trembling. Tala, eyes wide, put an arm around him, but Taras pulled away.

"Oh, great, kid, don't cry!" Seth groaned. "You know I hate when you guys cry."

"What's going on?" Kris asked as he emerged hauling two large knapsacks and herding Bryan and Alexei ahead of him. "Here, Seth, take a bag. Hey, Taras, what's the matter? You're all wet."

"Seth won't go get Tsvi for me," Taras whimpered. "It fell out of my pocket when I fell in the water."

"Well, Taras, Tsvi's just a small Beyblade." Kris said. "The current's probably carried him off to sea by now."

"_I want Tsvi!" Taras wailed._

"You can have Wolborg," Tala offered his own Beyblade to his brother.

"But I don't _want Wolborg!" Taras sobbed. "I want Tsvi back!"_

"Good," Tala said dejectedly. "I didn' really want to give him to you any way."

"Boys, we can't stay here mourning the loss of Tsvi all night," Kris interjected, just as Kai was about to open his mouth to say he would go look for it. "Take your bags and let's go. Seth, you go ahead, drop your bag and start hauling kids. The water's still too high for them. I'll go last and take my bag and Kai."

"Gotcha, Kris." Seth nodded and dove in, swam to shore and returned without his bag to grab both Tala and Taras and leave them on shore with a stern order to stay put. He returned once more to transport Bryan and Alexei, who protested loudly at having to go in the cold water. Once Seth had reached the beach, Kris lifted up the anchor from the water, slid into the water with Kai kicking to get free and gave the boat an enormous hole in its side as it drifted away and finally sunk somewhere far from shore.

"Kris, I can swim myself!" Kai said indignantly, bringing Kris back to present. In response, Kris just gripped Kai tighter around the waist and began to swim to shore as the triangle above the water came closer…

"Okay, are we all here?" Seth asked as Kris dumped Kai onto the beach and sprawled on the sand with exhaustion. While Tala and Taras were sitting on the sand looking bored, Bryan was whining about having to get wet and Alexei had fallen asleep again. "Lemme see… got two of the same kid, a kid that has yet to quit whining because he had to get wet, a kid who seems to have fallen asleep right here and an obnoxious brat. Yep, we're all here."

"Careful how you refer to my brother." Kris warned as he sat up. "All right. Let's camp here for the night and we'll keep going in the morning."

"Sounds good to me." Seth agreed. He opened the waterproofed bag again and pulled out a few blankets. Taking the ones used as the hammocks on the boat, Kris and Seth quickly spread them out on the sand and ushered the sleepy little boys onto them. Kris took the other blankets out of his own bag and added them together to create one huge cover.

But neither teen could sleep that night. Seth lay awake, mind racing with the fear that Boris would somehow find them here. Kris finally got up and paced back and forth the remainder of the night, continuously glancing out at the calm seas and up in the cloudless sky.

The smallest of the fugitives, however, found no fear in their peaceful slumber. While Alexei tossed and turned naturally in his sleep, Bryan desperately tried to kick him off. Tala and Taras were back-to-back, in deep sleep. And Kai's silky navy blue hair fell over his face and made him shift his head slightly.

Finally, probably about 5 AM, Seth managed to drop off but Kris continued to remain wide awake, a throbbing pain in his left shoulder blade. Then he swore loudly.

  


* * *

[1] Yes, Alexei is in this one too. Once again, please recall that his history changes with every story, just like just about everybody else's.


	4. A Scary Encounter

Survival Skills

A/N: Wow! People actually like the story! *starts blubbering like a bloody baby* And it's even on a favourites list! ^________________^ So here's the next chapter for you, Bricabee!! Ye who saved this fanfiction!

DISCLAIMER: I own virtually nobody. Kris and Seth and Taras and Alexei and Doctor Resven.

****

Chapter 4: A Scary Encounter

Kai awoke with a start. It was completely silent in the boat, except for the constant pounding of rain and cracks of thunder, which seemed to be directly over top of them. He frowned.

"Something bugging you, Kai?" Tyson asked from his hammock at the opposite end of the boat. He and Max were the only ones who were actually sleeping in hammocks: Rei, Chief and Kai had been caught in a freak storm that seemed to be horribly common wherever it was they were. Those three boys were scattered across the floor of boat-cabin-type-thing, trying to sleep while at the same time trying to dry out their blankets. It wasn't working.

They had been here nearly three weeks now, and there was still no sign of rescue. Kai had finally been forced to recount to his teammates what had really happened. In reality, they were probably way off-course from Brazil. In fact, there probably was no Brazilian tournament. They had been duped a good one by most likely an old adherent of Biovolt, looking to do away with those who had busted them.

"Kai." Tyson repeated. "Earth to Kai. Come in, please."

"Hmm?" Kai asked, looking up.

"Nightmare or something?" Tyson asked. "You woke up pretty quickly."

"Hmph."

"Come on, Kai, don't do the Ice-Man thing with us," Tyson persisted. "Now do I have to beat it out of you or are you going to tell me willingly?"

"You really think you could lay a hand on me?" Kai asked easily.

"Challenge accepted." Tyson threw back as he dove out of his hammock.

"OW!" Rei howled as Tyson skidded across the floor, effectively pulling Rei's hair along with him. "Tyson!"

"Huh?" Max said, awaking and tumbling from his hammock, landing on Chief, who wailed.

"Now see what you did, Tyson?" Kai asked, still perched on the entrance as the other three boys advanced menacingly toward Tyson, who was wearing his signature 'Who, me?' expression. "Later, boys."

Then he slipped out into the rain, rubbing his left shoulder as he went.

As he disappeared into the trees, Max commented, "His shoulder seems to be hurting him a lot."

"His shoulder always looks like it hurts in the rain." Rei said. "Not a clue why. Come on, guys, before he gets lost in there or something."

"But it's _raining_!" Tyson whined.

"You're getting out first, Tyson." Rei told him. "YOU were the one who woke us all up."

"But I didn't mean to!" he wailed as his friends pushed him out onto the wet sand. "It's _wet_ out here!"

Before Tyson even reached the forest, however, Kai reemerged and told Tyson off for coming out after him.

"But… but… but…" Tyson sputtered as Kai shoved him back inside. Kai jumped back in and closed the door just as another thunder clap rattled the boat. Then he winced as his left shoulder fell back against the wall.

"What's wrong with your shoulder, Kai?" Rei asked quietly.

"Nothing," Kai snapped, though not very forcefully. "Call it a souvenir of Balkoff Abbey."

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" Max asked again.

"Stop it, all of you," Kai said. "Go back to sleep."

"No chance of that, dude." Rei moaned, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm awake."

The storm finally ceased about midday and the younger three boys insisted on swimming. "Come on, Kai, _please_? _Please_? Pretty please with pocky on top?"

"No." Kai answered.

"Oh, wait, that's right, you don't like pocky, do you?" Tyson muttered. "Well, how about pretty pretty please with… raspberries and blueberries on top?" Every Bladebreaker knew the way to Kai's heart was through raspberries, with blueberries as a close second, since raspberries were getting harder to find.

__

"Kris, Kris, we want to go swimming!" Kai whined, tugging at his brother's sleeve. Kris sighed and stood up.

"All right. We can go down to the beach for a little_ while."_

All five children cheered and dashed away towards the beach.

"Oh fine." Kai relented, stepping aside as Tyson, Max and Chief all scrambled to be first out of the boat. Rei laughed.

"I knew you would agree." He teased. Kai made a face at him as the two oldest Bladebreakers departed after the rapidly disappearing trio.

As Kai stayed on the shore, watching his teammates splash in the water, he noted an oddly shaped rock out of the corner of his eye.

Standing up, he walked the short distance then picked up the arm-length rock, the inscription in Russian reading:

**__**

Alexei Edik Tchaikov

December 31, 1987 - July 2, 1992

Kai dropped the rock like a hot coal. He stood there, in a sickening realization, until somebody's soaking wet shirt hit him in the back. Yelling, he whirled around to see Rei, Max and Chief laughing as Tyson waved energetically.

"Kai! Quit being such a wet blanket! Come swimming with us!"

Sighing, Kai stripped off his shirt and scarf and dove in.

"Oh, I'm going to kill you for that, Tyson!" Rei yelled, jumping towards him. The two were soon engaged in a fierce water splashing contest that slowly edged towards shore somehow. Chief had climbed out a while back, but Max and Kai were still out in the water. All five were unaware of the danger that came near…

It was a few minutes before Rei yelled, "Hey, look out there!"

Max and Kai both whirled around and Max let out a strangled sort of yelp. Kai's eyes widened as the triangular shape above the water started to move quickly towards Max.

__

"Boys, come out of the water!" Seth called suddenly, an urgent tone in his voice.

"Max, start swimming towards shore," Kai said slowly.

"I think it's gonna catch me any way." Max whimpered even as he about-faced and started swimming towards shore at a frantic pace. Rei, Tyson and Chief were watching in horrified fascination.

__

"Alexei! Kai!" Kris yelled as the last boys were slower to get out, being farther out in the water than the others. "Pick it up a notch!"

Tala, Taras and Bryan, from their spots on the beach, watched as Kai pulled ahead of Alexei, but then turned around as Alexei let out a terrified scream.

"Kai!" all four boys yelled as Kai disappeared beneath the surface. Max screamed again as the shark came threateningly close. The adrenaline kicked in and he clambered out of the water, taking his towel that Tyson was holding out and wrapping it around himself, shaking. "Come on, Kai, this isn't funny!" Tyson yelled again.

Kai's head broke the surface at that point for a moment, yelling something in Russian, evidently at the shark, probably along the lines of "Get Lost". And in that moment, all four on shore understood the seriousness of the scene. Kai never used Russian unless he was distracted or angry. Or, in this case, being eaten by a blood-thirsty shark.

"It's got him." Rei said softly.

The struggle continued for pretty close to ten minutes, with Kai reemerging every few minutes and disappearing again. Just as even Max was ready to admit that Kai must've been dead by then, Kai reappeared close to shore. They all dragged him back up onto the beach before the shark decided to finish its little Kai-snack.

"Kai!" Rei said, gently slapping the team leader's face. Meanwhile, Chief had noticed the black object Kai had dragged out with him.

"DIZZI!" Chief yelled, diving for the laptop. He opened the laptop, and Dizzi's voice, waterlogged but audible, snapped, _You got lucky this time. Next time, don't leave me behind!_

"Sorry, Dizzi." Chief said apologetically.

Kai coughed weakly and immediately, all attention was back on him. Feeling like an animal in a zoo, he muttered, "Ducklings," in Russian. "That's what they are. Ducklings. I'm _fine_," he added loudly in Japanese.

"Kai, take a look at your leg and your arm." Rei told him frankly. "You are far from fine. Now sit up and shut up."

Kai reluctantly did as he was told for once. He grimaced as he sat up.

"Kai?" Rei asked.

"Yes?" Kai responded.

"What's on your shoulder?"

"What, the round shiny red thing?"

"Yeah."

"That's a ruby."

"Why do you have a ruby in your shoulder?"

"Because Boris put it there."

"Why did Boris put a ruby in your shoulder?"

"Don'… look … me, I… not … crim… mas… mind." Kai mumbled before blacking out. (A/N: Translation – Don't look at me, I'm not the criminal mastermind.)

__

Kai was startled awake the night they arrived on the island, by the sounds of his brother swearing.

"What?" Seth yelped.

"The trackers! I forgot about the trackers!"

"YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE TRACKERS?!" Seth howled, standing up and digging in his bag.

"Crackers? Where?" the always-hungry Tala asked, sitting up.

"No, not crackers!" Kris groaned. "Go back to sleep, Tala. Kai, come here and take off your shirt."

"Why?" Kai asked suspiciously.

"I need to see something for a moment. Seth, I need you to take out the trackers."

"Man, the best we got is tweezers." Seth answered.

Kris whimpered slightly. "We'll have to do it that way then." He peeled off his shirt, then clenched his teeth as Seth managed to grasp the ruby on his left shoulder firmly between the pincers and started to tug gently. "Seth, just rip it off. Don't prolong the agony."

"It's not as easy as that." Seth snapped. "It's implanted pretty deep."

It took five minutes of painful and strategic placing and pulling before Seth finally successfully tore the ruby from Kris' shoulder. Then, after a small Band-Aid was placed over the wound, Kris took the bloodied gem to a nearby boulder, and smashed it into a thousand tiny splinters using another rock.

"All right." Seth said, wiping the tweezers on a corner of his shirt. "Kid's turn."

Kai's eyes widened as he realized what was going to be done, and he struggled against Kris' iron-tight grip. "No! No, Kris, no!" he cried as Kris caught his wrists together and managed to pin his legs down.

"All right, Seth," he said grimly. "Go now, before he really starts panicking."

"That's not panicking?" Seth muttered as he started the scene all over again, this time with Kai screaming and pleading and struggling and crying. When the jewel was dislodged, Seth went to smash that one while Kris tried futilely to comfort Kai, who was still in tears.

At this point, the other four boys had awakened. Clamoring for information, they finally gave up and fell asleep again when both Kris and Seth refused to answer. Seth climbed back under the covers and fell asleep.

Still hiccuping and sniffling, Kai refused to look at Kris, with an air of betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Kris whispered as he lifted his baby brother into his arms. "I know it hurts. But we had to do it. Someday you'll understand."

Kai awoke to a burning sensation in his right arm and left leg. Yelling with pain before he could stop himself, he suddenly had all four other Bladebreakers at his side. Somehow, they had gotten him back to the boat.

"Oh, you _are_ alive." Tyson said, acting the I-could-care-less.

Kai, after a brief glare at Tyson, attempted to stand up again, but was pushed back down by Rei, who was the only one anywhere near strong enough to keep Kai in check.

"No, Kai." He told him sternly. "You are on… bed rest… of sorts until we say you can get up. You've been taking care of us ever since we first met, now it's our turn to take care of you."

"That's right," Max and Chief added together. "You're the one who bailed us out of the tight spots. You're the one who gave us hints about how to beat our opponents."

"They acknowledge my greatness. All right, who drank sea water?"


	5. Fort Humanity

Survival Skills

A/N: *is horribly bored and clogged with writer's block*

DISCLAIMER: Nanu, nanu. Laura owns nothing. Nanu, nanu. (don't ask. It's a Mork and Mindy thing my father is fond of quoting.)

**Chapter 5: Fort Humanity**

                "Hey, Kai," Max asked timidly.

                "Yeah?" Kai said gruffly.

                "What was it you were yelling yesterday?"

                "Yelling what?" Kai asked.

                "When the… when you… you know."

                "No, I don't, actually."

                "This." Rei said, and repeated the phrase Kai had yelled in Russian the other day.

                "Good memory," Tyson said, awestruck.

                "You don't need to know." Kai said immediately.

                "It had my name in it." Max pressed.

                "So does a lot of other words," Kai pointed out.

                "He does have a point there, Max." Chief said. "Maximum. Maxilla. Maxim. Maximal. Maximize."

                "I get the point," Max interrupted. "But Kai, you know it's not good to keep secrets from your teammates."

                "Besides, Kai, I think you know more than you're saying." Rei said. "Ever since we arrived here, you've been waking up every few hours."

                "You've noticed, too?" Tyson asked Rei.

                "Doy, who can _miss it?" Rei asked sarcastically._

                "Guys, shut up for a second," Max told them. "Kai, what's going on?"

                Kai sighed. 'If I tell you, will you shut up?' he thought.

                "If you tell us, we'll shut up," Tyson offered. Kai rolled his eyes.

                "That I would love to hear." Kai muttered. "Tell you what. If you can go the entire day without saying anything, I'll tell you."

                "But—but—but—" Tyson sputtered.

                "Tyson! Just try, will ya?" Max begged.

                "Starting now." Kai smirked. "Oh, and you all have to leave me alone the whole time too."

                The four boys' eyes widened and Tyson was about to open his mouth and protest, but Max and Kenny both dove at him, covering his mouth.

                Kai smirked again. "I'll see you guys later." He said, standing up with a bit of difficulty and disappearing into the trees again.

                There was a dead silence in the forest as Kai limped along a pathway that had once been beaten but had long since been overgrown through nonuse.

_                "Are we there yet?"_

_                "I'm hungry!"_

_                "He's touching me!"_

_                "Seth, Alexei is looking at me!"_

_                "Kris, I'm tired!"_

_                "Are we there yet?"_

_                "I'm hungry!"_

_                "Make him stop touching me!"_

_                "Would all of you pip-squeaks just stop whining for two seconds?"_

_                Two seconds pass…_

_                "Are we there yet?"_

_                "I'm hungry!"_

_                "He's touching me!"_

                Kai had to stop and laugh as the memory of that first trek to the fort. No matter how gruesome the escape from Balkoff Abbey had ended, this was one of the most humourous moments in his memories. Alexei and Bryan bickering endlessly about one touching the other, Tala whining about his never-ending hunger, and Taras' complaints about the distance.

                He reached a clearing the middle of the forest and closed his eyes momentarily. Then he reopened them and saw it as it had been ten years earlier…

_                "Hey, Seth, toss that hammer over there!"_

_                "Which one's the hammer? They're all sticks and rocks!"_

_                "This one," Kai said disdainfully, picking the makeshift tool and bringing it over to his brother._

_                "Thanks, squirt." Kris said affectionately, ruffling Kai's hair. He turned back around and banged in the final piece of the fort._

_                There was a large tree in the centre of this clearing. Kris and Seth, to a lesser extent, had spent the past few weeks building one of the most elaborate forts in the branches that anybody has ever seen. There were four different bedrooms, a kitchen, a food storage room, a set of stairs that pulled up, with some difficulty, and a deck that went all around the building._

_                On the ground, not far from the main building, was a smaller shed and not far past that point was a spring._

_                "Wow," Tala said admiringly. "You guys did good."_

_                "Thanks, kid," Seth said._

_                "I get that bedroom there!" Alexei yelled, dashing for the staircase._

_                "I want that bedroom!" Bryan screeched, running after Alexei._

_                "I get the other bedroom!" Tala and Taras screamed simultaneously as they sped to catch up with their friends._

_                After looking at Kris briefly, Kai took off to rejoin his friends, laughing as Alexei and Bryan tussled over who got which mat._

                Kai brushed his fingertips lightly across the railing of the staircase, which was still pulled down from the last time he, Tala and Bryan had ever gone in the fort. Carefully, he climbed the stairs until he reached the deck. Knowing that the wood could've rotten quite a bit in ten years, he tread cautiously as he entered the building.

                The first thing he saw was the paper, now yellowed with age and moisture, that Seth had stuck up on the wall just minutes after they had first built it.

**_On this day, the 15th of July, 1992_**

**_We seven human beings_**

**_Kristian Nicholai Piotr Hiwatari_**

**_Seth Nathaneal Resven_**

**_Bryan Myer Benson_**

**_Kai Daivid Lyaksandr Hiwatari_**

**_Tala Vladimir Nicholae_**

**_Taras Ivan Nicholae_**

**_Alexei Edik Tchaikov_**

**_do hereby revoke any lessons learnt while in the training centre for evil known as balkoff abbey and will follow only the rules of humanity set by Kris TO CO-INHABIT THIS FORT OF HUMANITY ON THE HEREBY NAMED LIBERTY ISLAND PEACEFULLY._**

                Kai smiled sadly. 'The rules of humanity… I had almost forgotten those.'

_                "Here are the rules for humanity," Kris said. "A: No boy shall torment anybody for any reason. B: We shall all cooperate to make this easier on everybody. C: There will be no fighting, whether play or real. D: There will be an equal sharing of work, depending on your age. Nobody slacks off while I'm around. E: No going off on your own. None of you boys goes off without either Seth or I. Last thing we want is anybody getting lost. F: No stealing. What's mine is mine and not Alexei's. What's Bryan's is Bryan's, not Taras' or Tala's. Etcetera, etcetera. Everybody got that?"_

_                "Yup!" Taras said cheerfully. "Can we go swimming now?"_

                "And of course that was the day Alexei died," Kai murmured softly.

_                "Kris, go get him!" Kai screamed as Kris scooped his brother up into his arms. "Kris, you gotta go get Alexei! Kris!"_

_                "I can't, kiddo." Kris said softly, reaching down a hand to put a comforting hand on Bryan's terrified head._

_                Kai took one last look out at the calming waters, tainted the morbid red, and lay his head back down on Kris' shoulder, letting the first tear in a long time slide down. "Alexei…"_


End file.
